During a ureteroscopy procedure, a medical practitioner can insert an endoscope (such as a ureteroscope) into a patient's urinary tract, for example, over a guide wire to locate an undesirable object such as a kidney stone or a bladder stone. Once the stone is located, an optical fiber member can be introduced into a working channel of the endoscope and advanced within the working channel until the optical fiber comes into contact with or in close proximity to the stone. Electromagnetic radiation from, for example, an electromagnetic radiation source (e.g., a holmium (Ho) laser source) can be directed through a waveguide of the optical fiber member towards the stone to break the stone into fragments. The fragments can be removed with, for example, a basket tool via the working channel or flushed through normal urinary activity. This type of ureteroscopy procedure, which can be minimally invasive, can be performed under, for example, a general anesthetic.
Many known optical fiber members that are used in ureteroscopy procedures have, for example, cleaved distal ends with edges that can be relatively sharp. The distal end edge of a known optical fiber member can snag on and/or cut into an inner surface (e.g., an inner liner) of a working channel of an endoscope as the optical fiber member is advanced within the working channel during a ureteroscopy procedure. A snag can result, for example, in an undesirable delay during a ureteroscopy procedure and/or in damage (e.g., irreparable harm) to the endoscope. The potential for the distal end of a known optical fiber member to snag or cut a working channel of an endoscope is particularly high when the optical fiber member is advanced through a portion of the working channel that is intentionally or unintentionally bent during a ureteroscopy procedure. Thus, a need exists for a cover coupled to a distal end portion of an optical fiber member that can address at least some of these issues.